Utah, BYU, SUU
SOFTBALL: Thirteen players from five Mountain West Conference softball teams earned All-West Region honors as announced by Louisville Slugger on Wednesday. The West Region consists of teams from the Big West, Western Athletic and Mountain West Conferences.
Utah earned two first-team selections, BYU had two first-team and one second-team selection, and Southern Utah had one second-teamer.
First team: pitcher, Cindy Ball, Pacific; pitcher, Sandra Durazo, SDSU; first base, Niki Hayhurst, Utah; third base, Lyndsey Trevis, Utah; DP, Brooke Cadiente, BYU; catcher, Jenny Topping, Cal State Fullerton; second base, Natalie Gonzales, Hawaii; shortstop, Holly Schmillen, Colorado State; utility, Gina Oaks, Cal State Fullerton; outfield, Rachel Goodpaster, UNLV; outfield, Oli Keohohou, BYU; outfield, Yasmin Mossadeghi, Cal State Fullerton.
Second-teamers were Sarah Farnworth, Cal State Northridge; Amy Dumas, New Mexico; Desiree Duran, Hawaii; Monica Lucatero, Cal State Fullerton; Liz Boydston, BYU; Kathy Moore, New Mexico; Samantha Kimura, UNLV; Sarah Hershman, SDSU; Adrienne Ratajczak, Pacific; Crystal Bingham, Southern Utah; Estee Okumura, Pacific; Becky Witt, Fresno State; and Kelly Glass, New Mexico.
BYU
VOLLEYBALL SIGNEES: Two highly recruited Utah high school seniors and a junior college All-American have signed NCAA letters-of-intent to play at BYU, announced Cougar coach Elaine Michaelis. Lauren Richards of Timpanogos High, Lexi Brown of Jordan High and Allison Larson from Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Wash., will join the Cougars for the fall 2001 season.
"I am very pleased with this recruiting class," Michaelis said. "Lauren and Lexi are both very highly regarded high school athletes who were first-team all-state players last year. Lauren has been considered the best player in Utah the past two years and is on the U.S. Junior National Team. We are also excited that Allison, a two-time junior college All-American, has decided to come play at BYU."
Richards, a 5-foot-11 setter/outside hitter from Orem, was one of six players named to the Volleyball magazine Paul Mitchell High School All-America First Team in March. A four-year starter at Timpanogos, she earned state MVP and Gatorade Player of the Year honors each of the past two seasons and is a three-time first-team all-state selection. She was first-team all-region and team MVP as a freshman. A versatile player, Richards played outside hitter in high school and setter for the U.S. Junior National Team, where she has competed against international competition. Named to Volleyball magazine's annual Fab 50 recruiting list, Richards was tabbed the No. 12 prospect in the nation.
Both Richards and Brown were recruited by numerous national volleyball powers before deciding to commit to BYU. Richards was recruited by national champion Nebraska and top-20 programs UCLA, Long Beach State, Stanford, Colorado State and Utah. Brown was also recruited by Nebraska, UCLA and Utah along with USC, Wisconsin, Arizona State and Tennessee.
Brown, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker from Sandy, earned first-team all-state honors her senior year at Jordan High School. A four-year starter, Brown was an all-region selection and team MVP her junior and senior seasons and an honorable mention all-region pick as a sophomore. Boasting an international resume, she competed in Europe as a member of the Intermountain High Performance Volleyball Team during her junior year. An excellent student, Brown boasts a 3.9 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society.
Larson, a 6-foot middle blocker/outside hitter, earned junior college All-America status both seasons at Columbia Basin College after being a three-year starter and all-area (Tri-Cities) star at Richland High School in Richland, Wash. At Columbia, Larson became a first-team All-American while leading her team to the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (Oregon/Washington) championship.
This past season as a sophomore, she earned second-team All-America honors while hitting a .432 attack percentage and averaging 4.66 kills, 3.79 digs and 1.40 blocks per game.
The three recruits join a BYU team that returns five starters and nine letter-winners from last year's 26-7 team that won the Mountain West Conference Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals.
SOFTBALL: BYU freshman right fielder Oli Keohohou was named First Team All-America Monday night by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. In addition, Keohohou is one of four finalists for the Honda Sports Award as the top collegiate softball player, with the winner to be announced May 28.
"This is really an honor for her, especially as a freshman," BYU coach Mary Kay Amicone said. "I think that it is hard for her to grasp the accomplishment she has achieved."
Keohohou finished the season batting .458 with 66 hits, eight doubles, three triples, 21 home runs, 60 runs batted in and 70 runs scored. She also had a .993 slugging percentage, while drawing 73 walks and striking out only 16 times in 144 at-bats. Keohohou has been among the nation's leaders for much of the season in batting average, home runs and RBI.
Other accomplishments include being named First Team All-West Region, Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, All-MWC selection, All-MWC Tournament selection and two-time MWC Player of the Week.
"The accomplishments are pretty cool," Keohohou said. "It makes you appreciate softball even more when you get rewarded."
Sophomore designated player Brook Cadiente and junior third baseman Elizabeth Pierce-Boydston were also named to the All-West Region team. Cadiente, a first team region selection, finished the season batting .320 with 58 hits, seven doubles, two triples, 13 home runs and 53 RBI. She was also named the MWC Tournament MVP and the MWC Player of the Week the final week of the regular season.
Pierce-Boydston, a second team region selection, finished the season batting .314 with 59 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 40 RBI. She was also an All-MWC selection.
TENNIS: Jodi Richardson, a member of the BYU women's team, received the ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award. The award is presented to an individual who displays inspiring commitment and dedication to her team, which enhances her team's performance and exemplifies the spirit of college tennis. Richardson was the winner from the Central Region, making her one of eight finalists from each region across the United States.
Richardson qualified for NCAA's in both singles and doubles. She is ranked No. 44 in the country in singles and teams with Brooke Ferney to form the 25th-ranked doubles team. Richardson also won the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year.
Utah State
SOFTBALL: Softball player Breanne Nickle will represent Utah State at the fifth annual NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference at Disney's Wide World of Sports and Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., May 28-June 1.
A total of 300 student-athletes from around the country have been selected to participate in the conference. The mission of the NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference is to provide a diverse group of the nation's top student-athletes an opportunity to actively participate in challenging and thought-provoking activities that will enable them to become better leaders on their campuses and in their communities.
As a result of participation, the student-athletes will enhance their communication skills, decision-making and problem-solving, critical-thinking and collaborative skills. The conference also promotes better communication among student-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty and communities.
Nickle, who completed her junior year as a co-captain of the Aggie softball team, was an academic all-district and academic all-Big West Conference selection as a sophomore. She has been active in USU's student-athletes services programs such as the Student-Athletes as Mentors and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in her time at Utah State.
On the field, Nickle, from Bluffdale and Bingham High, has played in 154 of USU's 157 games in the last three years. She has started all 154 games she has played. This past season Nickle led the team with six home runs and now has nine in her career. Her 20 RBIs were also a team best.
The first two years of this conference Utah State was represented by two student-athletes each year as gymnasts Deanna Palmer and Melissa Torres attended the 1997 conference and golfer Mitch Harris and women's track athlete Jamie Hall were at the 1998 conference. Soccer's Emily Sutherland was USU's representative in 1999 and basketball player Brennan Ray attended the 2000 conference.
TRACK: Utah State track and field athlete Rebekah Thornley was named to the Verizon Academic All-American District VIII First Team it was announced Wednesday. To be eligible for the honor a student-athlete must carry a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average, be in the second year of participation at the school and be a starter or important reserve.
Thornley, a senior from Logan, boasts a 3.92 grade-point average in Spanish with a minor in mathematics. Thornley repeated as Big West Champion in the 1500-meters this season and was also named to the Verizon Academic all-District Fall/Winter At-Large Team last fall as a member of USU's cross country team.
A total of 10 female student-athletes from nine different NCAA Division I schools comprise the 2001 Verizon Spring Women's At-Large Academic All-American First Team. The District VIII first team student-athletes advance to the Verizon All-American national ballot and that team will be announced on June 14.
UVSC
BASEBALL CAMP: Utah Valley State College will host its annual MVP Baseball Camp, under the direction of baseball coach Steve Gardner, June 4-8 at the UVSC diamond.
The camp is for youth in grades four to 12, with grades nine through 12 attending morning sessions each day from 9 a.m. to noon, and grades four through eight attending afternoon sessions from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The camp is designed to enhance skills in pitching, hitting, infield and outfield play, base running, throwing, catching , fielding mechanics and game strategy.
Preregistered camp fee is $85. Fee includes camp T-shirt, personal instruction and awards. For camp information, contact the UVSC athletic office at 222-8653.
Weber State
TENNIS: Lenka Zacharova won her first-round match Wednesday at the NCAA Women's Singles Championship by defeating K. Krishnamurthy of Princeton, 6-4, 6-1. She will play No. 4-seeded Michelle Dasso of Notre Dame in the round of 32 tomorrow at 9 a.m. EDT. Zacharova's win is the first ever for a Weber State women's player at the NCAA Championship.
The matches Wednesday were held at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Ga.
ACADEMIC HONORS: Weber State golfer Tenille Howe and tennis player Lenka Zacharova were both named to the Verizon Academic All-American District VIII Women's Spring At-Large First Team Wednesday.
A total of 10 female students from nine different NCAA Division I schools comprise the 2001 Verizon Spring At-Large Academic All-American First Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
To be eligible for Academic All-American honors, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), must be a starter or an important reserve and be in at least their second season at their current school. District VIII includes schools in the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and British Columbia.
Tenille Howe, a senior from Ogden, has a GPA of 3.98 in Technical Sales. She was awarded the 2001 Big Sky Scholar-Athlete Award for the highest GPA for a graduating senior at Weber State and is a four time Big Sky Academic All-Conference and Academic All-American by the National Golf Coaches Association. She is a two-time Big Sky All-Conference pick and was the 1999-2000 Big Sky Medalist and a member of the 2001 Big Sky Golf Championship team.
Lenka Zacharova, a senior from Bratislava, Slovakia, has a GPA of 3.93 in Information Systems and Technology. She helped lead her tennis team to a second place finish at the Big Sky Conference Championship and went undefeated in conference play this year. She had a singles record of 30-4 and a doubles record of 25-5 this season. She was named the Big Sky Conference MVP for the second straight year.
She won the 2000 ITA Central Regional Singles Tournament last Fall and was invited to compete at the 2001 ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship. She is currently ranked 47th in the country by ITA and is currently competing at the NCAA Women's Singles Championship in Atlanta, Georgia.
The District VIII first team student-athletes advance to the Verizon All-American national ballot. The national Verizon Academic All-American Team will be announced on June 14.
ALL-SPORTS TROPHY: For the second time in three years, the Weber State University Athletic Department has captured the Big Sky Conference Combined All-Sports Trophy.
Weber State won five of the possible 13 conference championships during the 2000-2001 athletic season. WSU won titles in women's cross country, men's indoor track, women's outdoor track, men's outdoor track and women's golf.
WSU won the men's all-sports trophy with 66.5 points. Cal State Northridge was second with 56 and Eastern Washington third with 53.5. On the women's side, WSU tallied 79 points. Northern Arizona was second with 69 and Montana State third with 66.5. Weber State won the combined trophy for the 1998-99 season.
TRACK: Weber State's Charles Clinger is one of 10 student-athletes named to the 2001 Verizon/CoSIDA District VIII Spring At-Large Academic All-American team. Clinger, who had a 3.55 GPA in business administration/finance, currently has the best men's high jump in the world in 2001 with a leap of 7-08.50, winning his third straight Big Sky Conference outdoor high jump title. Clinger also won the long jump and finished second in the triple jump, scoring 26 points, leading the Wildcats to their fourth straight Big Sky Conference outdoor crown.